Tips While Working From Home

The most recent Gallup survey
on telecommuting (released in 2017) revealed that 43% of Americans occasionally
work from home (WFH). This seems reasonable, as enabling technology, family
responsibilities, and the constraints of commuting have made telecommuting a
favorable option—from time to time.

But with the current COVID-19
health crisis affecting workers everywhere, time-to-time has transitioned to
all the time. Employees versed in casually finishing up some work on the couch
are now faced with doing an eight-hour shift on the couch, five days a week. Mothers
and fathers who exhaustingly juggle professional responsibilities with parenting
are now attempting to do both simultaneously—while moonlighting as homeschool
teachers. The idea of home—traditionally established as a respite from the
chaos that exists outside its door—has now been repurposed as part-office and
part-daycare, all while existing as our shelter from an ongoing storm of
sickness and social distancing.

It’s a lot to handle.
But just like we’re managing lifestyle changes day-to-day, the transition to
working from home—and all that comes with it—can be managed with a handful of
helpful tips.

Get
dressed

Is it a lot easier to
roll out of bed, set the kids up for the morning, then transition to your
workspace in your incredibly comfortable pajamas? Yes—but this
working-from-home routine is no longer a short-term situation. This could go on
for some time, so dressing like it’s a workday can help make this new normal a
little like the old normal, all while facilitating a focus that can waiver
within the relaxed confines of home.

Tip
from the trenches: Once my two- and
four-year-old are on their second bowl of Cheerios—and third wrestling match
over who gets the Magna-Tiles—I shower and change into what I’d regularly wear
to the office, including a collared shirt, jeans, and shoes. (And note: GQ agrees with me.)

Devise
a workspace (that enables work)

If you don’t
regularly work from home, then it’s likely you don’t have a set-up that’s
conducive to hosting 10-hour workdays—or one that’s sequestered from everyday
distractions. Now you need one. It doesn’t have to replicate your office, but
it also shouldn’t be too comfortable. (See: Your bed.) It just needs to be a
setting that enables productivity while affording you privacy to get the demands of
the day done.

Tip
from the trenches: For the last two
years, my wife and I have used an old high school desk as my daughter’s changing
table. She’s now potty-trained, so we’ve repurposed the desk—as a desk. For
this WFH period, we moved it into our bedroom, and now split time at the sunlit
space throughout the day.

Create
some playlists

Music can
motivate—and insulate. Depending on your mood and genre choice, the right run
of tunes can keep you on track, hold your attention on a series of assignments,
and block out distractions from roommates—or little roommates. To start, try
devising a lengthy playlist on Spotify
(for free or paid accounts) full of songs that can elicit creativity, calm your
nerves, and carry you through the day.

Tip
from the trenches: Over the years, my
eclectic playlists have both facilitated writing and blocked out distractions
from working in remote locations like loud coffee shops. Now at home, they keep
me on task—and keep out the noise from the toddler battles happening on my
wife’s watch.

(Some albums I listen
to when I need to get work done: “Break It Yourself” by Andrew Bird,
“American Hearts” by A.A. Bondy, “Devils & Dust” by
Bruce Springsteen, “The Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” by Neko Case,
“Astral Weeks” by Van Morrison, and, oddly enough, “OK Computer”
by Radiohead.)

Connect
with coworkers

We all need time to
ourselves, but isolation (or time spent solely with family) isn’t for
everybody. Communicating with your coworkers—whether on actual work or news of
the day—is a necessary exhale for the extrovert in all of us. Being deprived of
that can affect our overall well-being, so find an opportunity to hear a live voice or see
a face, whether through Zoom meetings, FaceTime or your standard iPhone.

Tip
from the trenches: Since the start of
The Martin Group’s WFH period, much of our communication has happened through
Microsoft Teams—and not just for work-related meetings. We’ve also hosted an
office-wide Happy Hour, allowing coworkers to share a drink and some laughs
amid the ongoing solitude; and the early April introduction of Snap
Camera by VP|Creative
Director Michael Tsanis has certainly added some extra entertainment.

Defend
against distractions—big and small

There are plenty of
distractions at home without a worldwide pandemic dominating your news and
social media feeds. If you’re tending to any number of children at home, those
disruptions can multiply exponentially—depending on the energy level of said
kids. It’s an ongoing challenge, but it takes a stern commitment—and one that will be continuously tested—to tune out these
interruptions.

Tip
from the trenches: For news, establish
two times per day to check your source of choice for updates, then let it go.
For the kids, let your partner take the reins for his or her shift, and
barricade yourself in your space. For me, I put two free weights at the base of
my bedroom door to stop any intrusions. (Note: The maniacs still try to break
down the door, but that’s where the music comes in.)

Schedule
an escape

Working in this
confinement can be depressing, so you need a daily release. While social
distancing and various other measures are limiting our outdoor activity
options, we can still take walks, runs,
or bike rides, so be sure to schedule one (whether alone or with the family)
for at least 30 minutes per day. It’ll not only provide a necessary exhale in a
constrained day, but it will always give you something to look forward to.

Tip
from the trenches: Since the start of
WFH, I’ve either taken a neighborhood walk with my family, a three-mile run—or dependent
on my anxiety levels, both—every day. Adults or kids (especially kids) are not
meant to be confined like this, so it’s an absolute necessity to get out, even
if it’s for a short time.

Go
to sleep

When you work from
home, there’s no quitting time. No one says goodbye or turns out the lights,
and no one tells you to go home—because you’re already home. Outside of time-senstive
obligations, you set your own parameters, and this can be quicksand for those
who can’t close their laptops. Set a time to end your day, then stick to it.
You’ll need rest for tomorrow—and the weeks we’ll continue to do all of this.

Tip
from the trenches: Since my work day is
now split up with childcare and my wife’s work responsibilities, I’ve
established a three-hour block to work after my kids are asleep. Once it expires,
I retire—and since I’m working at a desk next to my bed, I can roll off one and
into the other.